Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Ginger Pear Breakfast Bread

Chocolate Chip Ginger Pear Breakfast Bread, Gluten Free

Ingredients:

Dry

1 cup gluten free oat flour*

¼ cup brown rice flour

¼ cup almond meal

¼ cup potato starch

¼ cup ground flax meal

½ cup coconut sugar

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon xnathan gum

¼ salt

Wet

1 egg

½ cup almond milk

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 heaping teaspoon fresh grated ginger

Add ins

1 medium pear, diced (1 cup)

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

To make:

Preheat oven to 350º

In a large bowl, sift together all of your dry ingredients and gently mix to incorporate flour blend.

In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients and whisk well. 

Pour wet ingredients into dry. 

Mix well to saturate flour blend and then fold in the diced pear and chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes. 

Remove from heat and cool.

*You can purchase oat flour pre-ground at the store or you can make it yourself by adding oats to a food processor and blending them down.

Gluten Free Strawberry Pancakes

Gluten and Refined Sugar Free Strawberry Pancakes Topped with Marinated Strawberries in a Ginger Honey Syrup.



In my last post, I created a recipe for ginger honey syrup to be used in a drink recipe. I still had half a jar left so I thought of what else I could use it in. As a lover of pancakes, it could make a nice alternative to maple syrup. Although the consistency was much thinner I decided to use it as a marinade for chopped strawberries and use that as the topping.
Prep the strawberries before you start on the pancakes so they have time to soak up the flavor of the syrup. 

Marinade:

1 heaping cup of strawberries, chopped.
Place in a shallow dish and pour syrup (see previous post) over to coat the chopped berries.
Set aside until ready to top pancakes.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 tapioca flour
1/4 ground flax seeds
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 packets stevia (I use NuNaturals brand)
Pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 egg
1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
1/2 cup Seascape strawberry jam from Sweet Lady Cook (sweetened with honey)

Instructions:

Preheat a large pan on the stove top.
In a medium bowl, add all of your dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
In a larger bowl, beat the egg and whisk in the rest of the wet ingredients.
Add the dry to the wet while continually whisking. Beat until there are no more lumps.
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop batter into heated greased pan on medium heat.
Cook for about 2 minutes on each side.

Makes 10 pancakes.
Plate pancakes and top with marinated strawberries. I also topped my pancakes with a scoop of plain Greek yogurt.

Strawberry Ginger Honey Fizz

It's been so exciting to partner up with Sweet Lady Cook and create recipes using her homemade jams. Her latest batch of Seascape strawberry jam is made with honey, making this recipe free of refined sugars.

Strawberry Ginger Honey Fizz

Ingredients

1 cup water
Scant 1 cup honey
2 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger
Sweet Lady Cook’s Seascape Strawberry Jam (sweetened with honey)
Sparkling water
Strawberries for garnish (Optional)


Instructions

First thing you will need to do is make your ginger honey syrup. I made mine a day in advance so it would be chilled. You could even make it up to a few days in advance if need be.

In a small/medium size pot, add honey and grated ginger. Mix well to distribute ginger evenly and turn on the heat to medium.
Continue to stir until the honey starts to liquify.
Add water and mix well to incorporate.
Once a boil begins, turn down heat to medium/low and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Using a strainer, pour syrup into a glass jar. It will fit nicely into a 16oz size.
Let cool before storing in the refrigerator.

In a glass or jar add 2 tablespoons of Seascape Strawberry Jam.
Using a muddler, mash down any chunks of fruit.
Add ice cubes, 1/4 cup ginger honey syrup, and finish off with sparkling water.
Give the drink a quick stir and enjoy!
Garnish with a strawberry or lemon wedge. 

Salted Cashew Cranberry Ginger Bark

 Who doesn't love chocolate? Well, some people don't but there are many that do. Especially women and especially around that time of the month. Chocolate is rich in magnesium and can also boost levels of serotonin which are often times lowered in women during pms and menstruation. Instead of just eating a piece of chocolate, I thought I'd add some health promoting foods to make it even better.

I love ginger. It's a great warming herb as well as a digestive aid. It has antiviral properties and is also said to reduce inflammation in the body.

Cashews are full of healthy fats along with being a rich source of copper and magnesium.

Cranberries provide antioxidant protection. They are a great source of vitamin C.

 

Salted Cashew Cranberry Ginger Bark

3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped roasted and salted cashews plus some for topping

1/4 cup fruit juice sweetened dried cranberries plus more for topping

1 teaspoon grated ginger plus more for topping

1 teaspoon coconut sugar (optional)

Generous pinch of salt

Using a double boiler or a makeshift one (small pot with a metal bowl placed on top) melt down the chocolate. When it's about halfway melted, add the grated ginger. Once all the chocolate has melted add the chopped cashews and cranberries. Mix well to combine. Transfer mixture to a wax paper or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Spread the mixture out evenly and top with remaining cashews, cranberries and grated ginger. I mixed the grated ginger with a little coconut sugar for texture. I like the way it came out. Lastly, top the bark with a generous pinch of kosher salt sprinkled over evenly. Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes or until the bark has hardened.

 

Ginger Hot Chocolate

It's been so cold here lately, I needed something to warm me up in the mornings. What's better than warming herbs and spices mixed with hot chocolate? I created this at the same time I was trying to watch my sugar intake. Sweetening this drink with stevia was a simple solution. I could still have something sweet without giving in to any bad temptations. I prefer using liquid stevia but the packets would work just as well. In a small saucepan heat almond milk and grate about an inch of fresh ginger. Leave on a low heat for about 10 minutes so the ginger can flavor the almond milk and release it's health promoting properties. Ginger is a warming herb that increases circulation in the body. It's a good digestive tonic and can ease nausea. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-viral compounds which is great during cold and flu season. 

In a mug add 1-2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder with a splash of almond milk. You want to create a paste so when you add the ginger infused milk it's easy to mix. I also add cinnamon and cayenne. These are both warming spices and they create such a good flavor... similar to Mexican hot chocolate which is my favorite. Once your ginger infused milk is ready, strain and add to your mug. Mix well and add stevia to sweeten.